Neva is one of the most magnificent, large and wide rivers of Russia. Its history stretches from ancient times. What is the depth of the river? Neva in St. Petersburg has different depths in individual areas. Often the pond changes its width. Therefore, the Neva is the most unstable river in the world. Sometimes, due to such fluctuations, it is very difficult to resist the headwind.
River history
The depth of the Neva all the time changes in the course of the history of the reservoir. For example, the river delta in the 19th century had 48 channels and canals that formed 101 islands. In the 20th century there was a reduction, as well as water bodies. As a result, only 41 islands remained. In ancient times, the place of the Neva was a freshwater and enclosed Antsilovy basin. And the Tosna River flowed nearby.
The depth of the Neva began to form with the advent of the reservoir. It all started with a breakthrough in the watershed. Ladoga waters reached the Gulf of Finland. And then, about 4,500 years ago, the Neva was formed. The reservoir is ranked among the young. The river took its final shape only 2500 years ago.
The Varangian to the Greeks passed along it. Neva was mentioned in the Life by Alexander Nevsky. The coastal lands of the river often changed owners. In the 18th century, the reservoir became part of the Russian Empire. In 1912, the Neva (Peter) depth, which now reaches up to 24 meters, was very small. And only after 50 years began to increase in size. Especially at the source of the reservoir.
Reservoir description
The Neva is 74 kilometers long, of which 32 kilometers are located in St. Petersburg. The average width of the reservoir is from 200 to 400 m. And the most significant part reaches 1250 meters. This section of the river is located at the Nevsky Gate, in the delta. The narrowest width is 210 m., At the source of the Ivanovo rapids and Cape Svyatka.
How deep is the Neva? It is different, depending on the site where part of the reservoir is located. For example, at the Ivanovo rapids, the depth of the river reaches four meters, and at the Liteiny Bridge - up to twenty-four meters. The banks of the Neva go deep immediately, but they are not very steep. Thanks to this, water vessels can come close to the shore and moor.
Neva Square - 281 thousand square kilometers. On the territory of the reservoir there are 50,000 lakes and 60,000 rivers flow with a total length of 160 thousand kilometers. Neva originates from the Shlisselburg Bay. Then the river, reaching the Gulf of Finland, forms a large delta. At the mouth of the Neva is St. Petersburg. Thanks to the river, the city, which has many canals, was called “Northern Venice”.
Geographic characteristics
Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. The widest delta is in the area of the seaport. This value remains so up to the terrain where the Ivanovo rapids end. And also where r. Tesna flows into the Neva. Its bottleneck is at the beginning of the Ivanovo rapids. There the width of the river is only 210 meters. The second bottleneck is located between the Palace and Lieutenant Schmidt bridges. There the width of the Neva is only 340 meters. If we take in general terms, then the average is from 400 to 600 meters.
The depth of the Neva in St. Petersburg varies depending on the place. On average, this value is from 8-11 meters. The deepest place is 24 meters. And the lowest figure is four meters. The coast height is from 5 to 6 meters, and at the mouth - from 2 to 3 meters. There are practically no shallow banks that go smoothly under water on the Neva River.
Pools and tributaries
The area of the river basin is approximately 5000 square kilometers. But this is without inclusion in the size of the Ladoga and Onega reservoirs. If we take the value along with them, the Neva will be 281,000 square kilometers. The main right tributaries are the Black River and Okhta. From the left side:
- Slav;
- Murzinka;
- Tosna
- Izhora;
- Mga.
Bridges
On the Neva, almost all bridges are drawbridges. This action is performed at night, to pass watercraft. There are thirteen drawbridges on the Neva, ten of which rise daily. This is done on a specific schedule. In 2004, the first and only non-movable bridge was opened. It was called Bolshoi Obukhovsky. Its length is 2824 meters.
Modern Neva
In 2004, a new bridge was opened on the Ring Road through the Neva. In 2007, the “twin” facility was commissioned. And in January of that year, traffic was opened on it. The greatest depth of the Neva is twenty-four meters. And in no place of the reservoir there are large shallows. Passenger water transportation has been established on the Neva. Most often, tourist ships sail through a pond.
Today, one of the main purposes of the river is the water supply of St. Petersburg and its suburbs. About 95 percent of the water is consumed from the Neva for these needs. It is carefully processed at five water stations in the city.
Fishing on the Neva
Fishing has been developed on the Neva. Smelt spawns from the Gulf of Finland. And in the upper part of the Neva salmon is perfectly caught. Fishermen have chosen Kutuzov Embankment. In this place you can catch Arctic char, eel, trout and asp. On the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment it is caught:
- sterlet;
- brook trout ;
- grayling;
- salmon;
- pike;
- bream;
- burbot;
- som.
Also popular places for fishermen are the area near the Peter and Paul Fortress and Pirogovskaya Embankment. Sometimes they catch very large fish. Pikes come up to 15 kilograms, and zander - up to 8 kg.
Interesting Facts
Starting from 1895-1910 ice on the Neva River served as a winter crossing, which connected Vasilyevsky Island with other areas of St. Petersburg. And in 1936, a reinforced concrete bridge was thrown across the river. It was called Volodarsky.
Neva is characterized not only by White Nights, but also by floods. During the construction of St. Petersburg, flooding the city was considered retribution and God's punishment. And in the chronicles it is said that the water rose to 25 feet. For a long time, it was not possible to establish the cause of such phenomena. The construction of canals began, so that water can flow into the ducts.
As a result, the depth of the Neva is constantly changing. Water level decreased for a while. The dug soil was used for the foundations of buildings. In 1777, the Neva spilled very much, and after that the construction of ducts began. But these channels did not greatly affect the water level and became mainly transport arteries.
Only at the end of the 19th century, scientists were able to establish the cause of the floods. It turned out that the high waves of the Baltic Sea fall into the Neva and raise its level by two and a half meters. And with the wind, it’s even up to four meters. Therefore, the depth of the Neva depends on many factors. To protect St. Petersburg from catastrophic floods, in 1979 the construction of the dam began.
She passed through Kronstadt, and connected the shores of the Gulf of Finland. But the construction was soon temporarily frozen. Not enough money. And the dam began to be completed only in 2006. It went into operation in 2011. Now, even when the Neva rises to a critical four meters, the city of St. Petersburg remains under protection. The dam is designed to raise the water level to five meters.